Department for Education

Schools: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the sustainability schools remaining open in the event of an increase in self-isolation rates of teachers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: If some schools are experiencing high demand for places or severe staff shortages, local authorities will coordinate support from other schools in the area. Schools are expected to be flexible and work together where required.If a school is unable to open, local authorities should try to coordinate provision for pupils in other schools in their area. If this is not possible, local authorities should consider working with neighbouring local authorities while keeping in mind the impact on children. Regional school commissioners can support conversations between local authorities where necessary.

Children: Day Care

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support childcare providers in supporting the families of key workers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Ford: The government has asked providers to continue to provide care for a limited number of children – those who are vulnerable and those whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home. Providers should try to be as flexible as possible for critical workers who work shifts or atypical hours.We urge all childcare providers to be reasonable and balanced in their dealings with parents, given the great uncertainty they will be facing too. That is one of the reasons why we announced on 17 March that we will continue to pay funding to local authorities for the early years entitlements for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds and that funding would not be clawed back from local authorities during closures, or where children are withdrawn, because of COVID-19.The government has already introduced a range of measures to support businesses and workers during this period. Further details of support available for early years providers can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures#funding.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Retail Trade: Food

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what steps his Department is taking to support small food retailers to (a) maintain hygiene in stores and (b) protect staff from the transmission of that disease.

Paul Scully: We must support people at work to do the right thing during the COVID-19 outbreak so they can stay safe. We regularly speak to industry stakeholders, including the British Retail Consortium and supermarket CEOs, to ensure they are well prepared and up to date with the latest guidance from Public Health England.

Retail Trade: Food

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has plans to close (a) corner shops and (b) other small food retailers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: The Government has been clear that food retail, including supermarkets, convenience stores, corner shops, and food markets, will remain open.

Business Improvement Districts: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to provide financial support to Business Improvement Districts that have waived their levy to support local businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nadhim Zahawi: Given the significant role that Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) play in town centre management and regeneration, they will have a significant role in the recovery phase. The emergency Coronavirus Act enables BIDs to delay ballots between now and 31 December 2020, extending the BID arrangements until 31 March 2021. This will allow businesses to focus on recovery from economic shock before deciding whether to participate in BID arrangements for the following five-year period. This will support BIDs approaching their ballot in the next few months, allowing them to reprioritise their work and support the communities during this critical time. It is a proportionate response which balances the need to address the immediate crisis while also ensuring businesses are not denied the right to vote in these ballots for an extended period. We are exploring ways we can support BIDs directly, and businesses can also benefit from the substantial package of support announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Hygiene and Protective Clothing: Shops

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of installing (a) hand sanitiser dispensers at the entrances of essential shops and (b) protective gloves, masks and cleaning products at checkouts to limit the spread of covid-19.

Paul Scully: Public Health England have issued guidance for employers and businesses to support them in reducing the effects of Covid-19, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19 The Government welcomes efforts by retailers to reduce the spread of Covid-19 through the implementation of this advice.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan: Sikhs

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department has taken to support Sikh minorities in Afghanistan following the attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul on 25 March 2020.

Nigel Adams: We strongly condemn the attack on a Sikh Gurdwara in Kabul on 25 March. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia with responsibility for human rights and Her Majesty's Ambassador to Kabul have both condemned the attack. The UK continues to urge the Government of Afghanistan to ensure the rights of all ethnic and religious groups are protected, in line with the Afghan constitution.At the Universal Periodic Review of Afghanistan at the UN Human Rights Council in 2019, the UK recommended that the Afghan Government establish an independent mechanism to strengthen security protection for all religious and ethnic minorities.We will continue to engage with organisations and individuals which represent the Afghan Sikh and Hindu community, in Afghanistan and the UK. This helps us to maintain a full understanding of the challenges faced by their communities.

Indonesia: Gender Recognition

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Indonesian counterpart on (a) protecting the human rights of the trans community in that country and (b) the murder of the trans woman, known as Mira, in Jakarta.

Nigel Adams: We closely monitor events in Indonesia that involve the LGBT community through our Embassy in Jakarta, including the death of an Indonesia national called Mira. We understand suspects have been arrested and that the investigation is ongoing. The UK continues to advocate for minority rights, including lobbying to ensure that any changes to the Indonesian penal code do not discriminate against minority groups. The UK also held a workshop in December 2019 which supported media reporting on LGBT rights.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterparts on reports that statements made by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council have breached Article 22 of the Hong Kong Basic Law.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign Secretary has not, to date, made representations to the Chinese authorities about the recent comments by the Central Government Liaison Office but officials have expressed concerns on this specific issue to the Chinese authorities in Hong Kong. The British Government remains clear that Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, as provided for in the Sino British Joint Declaration and Basic Law, must be fully respected.

China: Animals

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the regulation of wet markets.

Nigel Adams: Wet markets exist all around the world. All wet markets should follow best practice on hygiene and safety to avoid health issues, whether in China or elsewhere and that should include safe sourcing of animal and other products. On 24 February 2020 China's National People's Congress passed a law banning the trade and consumption of wildlife for food. We welcome this decision and urge China to ensure it is enforced effectively. We have been in regular contact with the Chinese authorities since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, including a phone conversation between the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Wang-Yi on 20 March. The UK remains at the forefront of international efforts to regulate global trade in wild animals and is spending £36m (2014-2021) on countering the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

Ministry of Defence

Porton Down: Animal Experiments

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the severity of experiments conducted on live animals at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many live animal procedures conducted at Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down were classified as severe in 2018.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the female marmosets from litters in the breeding programme for that animal at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, and re-homing them to animal sanctuaries.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will end all severe experiments on live animals at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down by 2022.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether  any projects involving the use of live animals in scientific procedures at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, received grants from foreign governments in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Quin: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is committed to reducing the number of animal experiments and is proactive in developing alternatives. The “three Rs” of ‘reduce’ (the number of animals used), ‘refine’ (animal procedures) and ‘replace’ (animal experiments with non-animal alternatives) are integral to its research programme. Dstl currently uses non-animal physical models, computer models and in-vitro methods. For example, computer models are being used to model pressure waves in the head from the impact of blunt projectiles. Dstl scientists have developed invertebrate animal models using wax moth larvae that are used to screen novel antibiotics, and a replacement for animals in the form of a mechanical rig that represents the human chest and is used to assess protective equipment worn by the military. For the period 2018, a total of 586 regulated procedures were classified as severe based on the actual severity experienced by the animals. The welfare of marmosets in the Dstl breeding programme is under constant review by veterinary staff, independent inspectors and the Dstl Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body. While adult marmosets can live for a period of time in compatible same-sex social groups, the normal long term social group for mature adult marmosets is a male-female pairing. Removing female marmosets and rehoming them is not, therefore, a suitable strategy for the breeding programme, for the scientific research programme, or in the interests of optimal animal welfare. Dstl is committed to refining regulated procedures to reduce the overall number of severe procedures in animals. A procedure is retrospectively classed as “severe” if animals experience severe illness or die. As Dstl uses animals in experiments to develop new vaccines, therapies and treatments to protect against severe illness and death in humans, some severe procedures are still required. This is part of ensuring that the procedures provide a valid model of the human disease. No projects involving the use of live animals in scientific procedures at Dstl received grants during the latest period (2019). Where Dstl works with foreign governments, this is on a contract not grant basis, ensuring that the specifics of the work to be done are clearly stated, along with the associated legal obligations on both parties.

Porton Down: Animal Experiments

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether researchers at Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down are working on animal model development; and how much funding that laboratory has allocated to developing non-animal research methods in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Quin: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is developing and using animal models where this is necessary to understand and mitigate potential hazards to UK Service personnel and civilians The principles of the "three Rs" of 'reduce' (the number of animals used), 'refine' (animal procedures) and 'replace' (animal experiments with non-animal alternatives) are integral to all animal procedures at Dstl, and so separate allocations for developing non-animal research methods cannot be identified.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) full time students and (b) other people who are not entitled to social security but who are not able to work due to the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on their employment.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she is putting in place during the covid-19 outbreak to support students in part-time work who are unable to claim universal credit.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to extend eligibility for universal credit to full-time students in higher education during the covid-19 pandemic.

Will Quince: Students who do not ordinarily have entitlement to Universal Credit (UC) and who receive a maintenance loan or grant through the student finance system, will continue to be able to draw upon this financial support until the end of this academic year.Those who do not receive student finance and who would ordinarily not have entitlement to UC, such as those undertaking a part-time course which would otherwise not be considered as compatible with the requirements for them to look for and be available for work, will have entitlement to UC. We have disapplied UC and both legacy and new style JSA work preparation, work search and availability requirements and related sanctions. This will initially be for a three-month period. After three months, consideration will be given as to whether a further extension is required.

Universal Credit: Overseas Visitors

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will extend universal credit eligibility to self-employed individuals residing in the UK on overseas visas.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 21 April 2020



Eligibility for Universal Credit depends on a person’s immigration status in the UK. DWP operates a Habitual Residence Test (HRT) in order to assess whether individuals have legal right to reside for the purpose of accessing benefits and are factually habitually resident.

Universal Credit: Coronavirus

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2020 to Question 32160, what assessment she has made of the extent to which accessibility of IT and language support resources may prevent claimants applying for universal credit; and if she will make it her policy to allow agencies to support claimants for that benefit without the need for explicit consent.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 21 April 2020



The Department is working collaboratively with stakeholders to better understand any issues with the current process of explicit consent and to explore options for improving this process. The system of explicit consent does not prohibit claimants from seeking assistance and consent can be given by a claimant, either through their online account or by telephone. This helps to ensure the security of Universal Credit, including deterring fraudsters who may seek to exploit some of our most vulnerable claimants.Universal Credit is designed to be a 'digital-first' service, ensuring we make best use of technology to deliver a modern and effective working-age welfare system, allowing our staff to concentrate on those people who require additional support. Although the Department offers comprehensive support for claimants to use our digital service, there will be occasions when people are unable to make their claim online, so telephone applications are accepted.Where needed, Foreign Language and British Sign Language (BSL) support will be offered to claimants who need extra support. The service for BSL can be delivered by Video Relay Service and for foreign language interpreting help is available in writing and by telephone.Additionally, claimants can also access free telephony and web support through the Citizen's Advice Help to Claim service.